


something hidden

by civillove



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: F/M, mentions of emotional / physical abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:42:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24687082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/civillove/pseuds/civillove
Summary: established brightwell. based on an idea I had about stressed!malcolm that morphed into some details about dani’s past bc of a tumblr ask that considers Dani's past having domestic violence.--There are moments where, even after dating Bright for a long period of time, that Dani realizes she doesn’t know him like the back of her hand. She fools herself into thinking that she does, or at least as well as any other two people who are in a relationship. It feels like they’ve been through so much even though it all starts to blend together; the cases, the getting to know one another, the intimacy, and the sex. They remain exactly who they were before except everything’s different.
Relationships: Malcolm Bright/Dani Powell
Comments: 20
Kudos: 78





	something hidden

**Author's Note:**

> it’s been a while, thanks for the support and requests! xoxo

There are moments where, even after dating Bright for a long period of time, that Dani realizes she doesn’t know him like the back of her hand. She fools herself into thinking that she does, or at least as well as any other two people who are in a relationship. It feels like they’ve been through so much even though it all starts to blend together; the cases, the getting to know one another, the intimacy, and the sex. They remain exactly who they were before except everything’s different.

There’s a give and take to every relationship, Dani knows that, and the push and pull between her and Malcolm is real and sometimes incredibly frustrating. But it merits their time together, it feels worth it despite being messy. He knows things about her that she’s never told anyone else, mostly because he’s incredibly observant but she _does_ share things when he asks, no longer actively shutting him out. And he does the same, for the most part, except she knows there’s this dark mass right behind his chest that he keeps from her.

It’s like a cloud of ivy wrapped around the bones of his ribcage, dense and shadowy, something she can’t quite get her hands into to rip out of him. Dani recognizes it and it intertwines them together; she knows what it’s like to want to hide something painful. It has something to do with his past, his father, all the things he treads upon with a gentle smirk and self-deprecating humor.

But it’s there nonetheless, pops up when she least expects it, a bout of explosive anger making him tear apart the papers on the whiteboard that they’ve meticulously put into place. She thinks she should be used to this by now, the moments where he loses a semblance of control, but it digs under her skin anyways. Dani can’t help but cringe, quickly looking down at the paperwork and autopsy reports that remain untouched as Malcolm deals with whatever emotional strung he’s put himself through.

She can feel him turn back and look at her, his shoulders slightly deflating as he struggles to fix his breathing. He runs a hand over the lower half of his face and then through his hair because the last thing he wants to do is scare her.

“Sorry,” He mumbles but his voice is distant, he’s not completely there with her.

Dani shakes her head and manages to pick up a mug, “No it’s, it’s fine. Take a minute, I’m going to get a cup of coffee.”

She turns to walk out of the room and Bright is suddenly there, gently touching her elbow to—explain or apologize again, something, but it’s enough to rock her off balance and she drops the mug she’s holding. Both of them take a step back as it falls to the floor and shatters, mint-green ceramic sliding across tile.

“Shit,” She sighs, “I really liked that mug.”

Bright seems to sense that he’s treading on something new, unexpected, his eyes following the lines of her body and how tied up she is. “I’ll buy you another one.”

She smiles a little and curls her hair around her ear, “I’ll bring one in from my collection that’s cluttering up your cabinets. The lobster one, maybe, since you hate it.”

Malcolm scrunches his nose, “I didn’t say that, I just think the lobster looks a little…strange. Like JT or something.”

“It’s the eyes.” She crouches down and begins picking up the pieces as Malcolm drags the trashcan closer to help.

They collect most of it quickly, not being able to pick up small fragments with their fingers. Dani makes a mental note to call the building cleaners just to mention broken glass when they spruce up the rooms overnight. She doesn’t want anyone stepping on anything.

“It’s nice to see that I’m not the only one who’s a little jumpy.” Malcolm says when he stands, offering her a hand to help her up.

She takes it, squeezes his fingers, and then lets go, an action that does not go unnoticed by him. Dani pulls her hair back away from her face, suddenly unnerved by the strands touching her skin; she can feel his gaze on her as she always does but it’s different. He’s not watching her because he’s in love with her, or because it’s how a boyfriend looks at a girlfriend, but he’s building an additional section to her profile. Something he hadn’t noticed or seen before but now it’s spread out in front of him, even though he’s not quite sure what it is.

Especially since he can’t seem to solve the case that they’re on, this is much easier for him to think about. But she refuses to be another slide under a microscope, they’re supposed to be past this part in their relationship, where he digs without asking.

She straightens her shoulders, “I’m going to get another cup of coffee. You should take a break.” She motions to the mess of papers on the floor that he’s left behind and before he can say anything, she opens the conference door to head to the break room.

\--

Dani understands moments of frustration during a case, sometimes they’re not lucky enough to have a perfect profile in a short amount of time. Investigations can take effort and months of planning and work and it also gets under her skin to think about the fact that there’s someone out there, getting away with this crime while they try and piece together things left behind. She has moments where she feels like screaming, like taking apart the conference room bit by bit until there’s nothing left but destruction.

Because that’s what it feels like when they’re stuck; in the middle of a hurricane, calm yellow skies, and damage all around them.

Something about the profile for this case is putting Malcolm on edge, like it’s not sticking the way it should. They’ve narrowed it down to someone with a medical degree because the perfectly cut-up corpses and sewing and removing of organs can only be someone who’s practiced professionally. This could be a doctor, a nurse or even a vet—and maybe it’s the fact that it’s someone like a surgeon that’s boiling Bright’s blood but either way, he’s been off-kilter since they started this whole thing.

Dani gets it, really she does, not only does it bring up bad memories and connections with Malcolm’s father but she’s always been very in-tune to how people feel. It’s what makes her a good cop, being able to sponge up emotions around her, to read a scene. But it also means that she feels the very heavy weight on Malcolm’s shoulders, something he insists on carrying on his own, that black hole in the center of chest widening to the point of swallowing him.

And he won’t let her in.

But, then again, she knows what it’s like to want to keep something hidden.

\--

After they put in another three hours with little to no headway, Gil sends them home to get some rest so they can try again tomorrow. Dani hates leaving the precinct without feeling like they’ve been able to move forward but she knows they can’t push it either—something will come up, it always does.

The hard part is waiting.

So they go back to her place even though there’s this weird shift of tension between them, Dani can feel it settle like a plate of clouded glass keeping them apart—they can’t quite see one another, just shapes of their bodies as they move about her apartment. Malcolm closes the front door behind him and disappears into her bedroom, most likely to change his clothes and she toes her boots off before wandering into her kitchen.

She doesn’t want to make food exactly because it’s one AM but she wants to do something with her hands to keep them busy, to keep them from shaking. So she begins digging through her drawers for something she can make, pulling ingredients out that resemble…a pumpkin loaf.

Dani swallows, staring at the counter, unwanted memories of her aunt’s kitchen beginning to fill the back of her mind.

“Uh oh,” Bright says as he walks into her kitchen, pulling her from her thoughts as he sees the stuff on her counter. “You’re not going to burn your place down, are you?”

He leans his elbows against the counter, a warm smile and bright blue eyes highlighted by the navy t-shirt he has on. She narrows her eyes and points a measuring cup at him,

“I’m going to _bake,_ excuse you.”

Malcolm licks his lips, the corners of his mouth turned in a smirk, “Yeah, that’s what I said.”

Dani promptly ignores him but makes sure her hair is pulled back before she turns to rifle through her drawers for a cookbook she remembers seeing somewhere. One of her father’s, knowing that there’s a recipe in there for a pumpkin loaf. She puts the book onto the counter once she finds it and flips through the pages, running her fingers down a list of ingredients.

Can of pumpkin, baking soda, ground cloves, cinnamon, flour, nutmeg…she has all these things. She chews on her lower lip, playing with the corner of the cookbook, ignoring Bright’s gaze trying to pry her open more than she already is.

He’s testing a nerve, how easily he can brush over it with his thumb without hurting her. “What’s bothering you?” He asks after a moment, grabbing the can of pumpkin to open with a can opener.

She shrugs her one shoulder, “Nothing, I just feel like making something. I’m wired.” Dani looks up at him, “Given the mess in the conference room, I gather you are too.”

He holds her gaze for a moment before he looks away because okay, yeah, he deserves that jab. He taps his fingers on the counter, not speaking for a few moments as she preheats the oven and gets things measured for this pumpkin loaf that’s most likely going to be a disaster.

Especially if she doesn’t let Bright help.

“You’re baking and biting your lower lip; you only do that when you’ve got something on your mind.” He offers after a few moments and puts his hands up in mock surrender when she gives him a _look_ about prying, “I’m just…worried about you.”

And she can’t really yell at him for that, can she?

“I’m not the one tearing apart the whiteboard because he’s frustrated.”

Bright leans up at that, his palms resting against her counter and maybe…that’s not quite fair of her. She avoids his eyes and continues to work, trying to measure ingredients with trembling fingers, to concentrate despite their conversation rotating on the head of a pin.

“Is that what this is about?” Bright begins to shuffle puzzle pieces together even though he doesn’t know what image he’s building. “You’ve been off since then.”

“Are you asking or telling?” Dani presses, putting down a cup of flour into the bowl that she’s collecting ingredients into. It’s not measured as well as it should be and she can _see_ Malcolm’s fingers itching to fix it for her.

This pumpkin loaf is going to come out lumpy and probably burnt with the taste off but she’s determined to do it on her own.

Bright sighs gently because he can sense he’s not about to win with this conversation, the fact that Dani is bating him into an argument, that she’s calling him out on telling her how to feel—what her emotions are saying to him. It always drives her a little crazy, his inability to turn off a profile.

He makes the mistake of reaching out to her to grab one of the pans she has set out, most likely to grease it so she won’t forget, but there’s a definite moment where she flinches…and his hand stops.

There’s a clear blue to Malcolm’s gaze, like he’s finally understanding something even though their mouths are saying nothing, their bodies doing all the talking. He very slowly puts the pan down and waits as she combines ingredients, as she adds pumpkin and gets out a mixer to blend everything together.

For a while it’s the only sound in the kitchen.

Then it’s like Bright drops a bomb right in the middle of her pumpkin loaf because he reads her so well and yet still has no concept of what she could be thinking about, all at the same time.

“I would never put my hands on you like that.” And Dani nearly drops the bowl she’s holding in place, turning the mixer off.

Her eyes look up to him instantly, tracing the lines of his face, his desperateness to understand her. And in that moment, in-between heartbeats, she knows that he’s being honest. That despite his violent outbursts, he’d never turn anything like that on her.

She trusts him more than a lot of people and things in her life.

Dani swallows and nods her head gently, transferring the pumpkin mix into pans that she’s greased before she pops them into the oven. She waits; she knows she could fill the time with cleaning up but Bright’s _trying,_ which she knows is especially hard for him when he could just talk it out like a profile.

That he’d be able to piece her together without Dani really saying anything.

“My aunt used to make pumpkin loaves like this,” She motions to the ingredients, “I always wanted to help but…I just ended up making a mess.”

Malcolm takes a patient step towards her but doesn’t crowd her space, offering her the comfort of his presence but also keeps to himself as he cleans up ingredients on her counter. She watches him carefully, his hands that lead to his forearms and biceps, the comforting planes of his chest and strong line of his shoulders.

Dani sighs, putting something into the universe, in the silence that sits between them, “After my dad died, I had to live with my aunt for a while because my mother was a wreck. Couldn’t take care of me let alone herself.” She swallows, chewing on the inside of her cheek.

Bright gives her his attention, his hand reaching out to gently brush over her wrist—though she’s not sure if that’s him encouraging her or trying to say, _you don’t have to explain._ Either way, she keeps going.

“I know I wasn’t the best teenager or anything, I was going through a lot but,” Dani shrugs her one shoulder. “She had a heavy hand and never a kind thing to say. Guess she felt obligated to my dad to take me in until my mom got her life back on track. It was only a few months but it…stayed with me.”

Dani tries her best to not let her past define her, even though she knows it’s virtually impossible. She’s going to be a product of what she’s been through, of the actions she’s made, the emotions she’s felt, of other people’s influences. She’s her dad’s death and her mom’s alcoholism and her ex’s high functioning sociopathic nature.

But if she’s all those things, she also hopes she’s Gil’s kindness and determination, Malcolm’s gentle touches and soft kisses and above all, Dani hopes that she’s her own devoted work and resolve. Because she wants nothing more than to be everything she’s strived for.

Dani lets Malcolm take a careful step towards her, his hand outstretching to run a curl behind her ear. His fingers are warm and light against her cheek, his thumb tracing along her jawline as he tips her chin so she’ll look at him.

“I know what it feels like to have emotions that overwhelm, that sometimes it’s like they take everything out of you. But I promise you, it’s only adding more strength to who you already are.”

She smiles gently and nods, allowing her eyes to close as she memorizes his touch, taking a step closer to wrap her arms around his waist. Bright presses a soft kiss to her hairline, drawing her into his body and squeezing. They stay like that for a few moments, his fingers trailing up and down her spine, pausing every so often to rub circles into a tense muscle.

“I’ll work on the outbursts,” He promises, the sound of his voice vibrating against her chest before the pull apart. “If anything, so we don’t have to clean up a bunch of paper in the conference room.”

Dani laughs gently and shakes her head, tapping her fingers against the counter. That’s better than nothing and while she might not completely understand what leads him to moments like that—she at least appreciates that he hears her and wants to better pieces of himself too.

They pull apart naturally, cleaning up her kitchen counter by putting ingredients away. Malcolm pauses in front of the oven, his mouth opening and closing in a way she recognizes as he chews on words behind his teeth.

Not _wanting_ to say something but having to, “You know you didn’t set a timer, right?”

Dani blinks as she looks at the oven. “Damnit.”

\--

Bright rounds the corner of the couch with two plates, sitting down next to her, “Alright, sunshine, I think I managed to salvage what you put into the oven.”

Dani winces as she looks down at the lumpy pumpkin loaf, poking it with her fork because…she’s not sure she’s seen something look this sad. It’s not the color its supposed to be and the bottom is definitely burnt because she forgot to set the damn timer.

“Why did you let me do this?” She mumbles, mostly to herself and Bright laughs.

“You were very determined; I wasn’t getting in the middle of that.” He draws one of his legs up and under himself as he sits, setting the plate down on his leg. He cuts a piece with his fork, “It doesn’t look that bad.”

“It doesn’t smell good,” Dani admits, frowning, “Do you think a cream cheese icing would save it?”

“If I make it, sure.”

She nudges Malcolm in his side and he smirks as she manages to get a ticklish spot, gently pushing her away as he gets this over with and puts some into his mouth. She watches his expression but he’s very careful about keeping it to himself.

“It’s really not…that bad,” He says after a moment.

“Liar,” Dani snorts and tries some herself. God it’s _awful,_ from the consistency to the taste. She puts her plate on the table. “What are the odds of you making one of these in the next hour?”

“I’d say low,” Malcolm says as he mimics her actions, putting his plate on the table. “We’re going to be busy.”

For a moment she wonders if she’s missed a call from Gil about the case but when she turns to look at Bright, he’s kissing her and pressing her down into the couch, smiling against her mouth.

**Author's Note:**

> if you thought i'd write brightwell without some sort of baked good being involved, you really don't know me at all.   
> thanks for reading or any comments or kudos you might offer! appreciate it! :)


End file.
